John Bruton

John Bruton (18 May 1947-) was Taoiseach of Ireland from 15 December 1994 to 26 June 1997, succeeding Albert Reynolds and preceding Bertie Ahern. He was a member of the liberal Fine Gael party.

Biography
John Bruton was born in Dublin, Ireland on 18 May 1947, and he was educated at University College and King's Inns Dublin. He was first elected to the Dail Eireann in 1969 as its youngest member, serving as a member of the liberal Fine Gael party. He quickly became the opposition spokesman for Fine Gael, and he served as Finance Minister from 1981 to 1982 and from 1986 to 1987, Leader of the House from 1982 to 1986, Minister for Industry and Energy from 1982 to 1983, and Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce, and Tourism from 1983 to 1986. On 20 November 1990, he succeeded Alan Dukes as leader of Fine Gael, and he formed a coalition of a "government of Renewal" with the Irish Labor Party and the Democratic Left of Ireland in 1994, despite his party's loss of the elections (Fine Gael's seats dropped from 55 to 45). His government legalized divorce and passed tough legislation on crime, and he relied on the patient negotiating skills of his deputy Dick Spring to continue the efforts of his predecessor, Albert Reynolds, to seek a negotiated settlement that could end The Troubles in Northern Ireland. He resigned in 1997 after Labor was mauled during the elections, depriving him of the parliamentary representation needed to retain office.